On the Feast of All Saints, we remember a day we spent with one. November 25, 2000 Spello, Italy The Apennines divide Umbria like uneven vertebrae up the spine of Italy. Yesterday, we crossed the ridge in search of a saint. Near the central crest, in the province of Perugia, sits the comune of Cascia. We’re spending […]
Atlanta, GA October 26, 2022 Degenerate societies despise children. The Canaanites immolated them, Carthaginians took them to the tophets, and Aztecs hurled them into volcanic pits. Being more “civilized” than its ancient ancestors, modern culture dispenses with kids by averting its eyes. Every year in America alone, almost a million unseen innocents are intentionally exterminated […]
Atlanta, GA October 15, 2022 “There must be something about Russia; like a chorus girl on the make for a rich, old man, she seems to attract degenerate empires.” – Bill Bonner We’re teetering on the cusp of the Fourth Turning. And the incorrigible idiots who’ve put us on the precipice seem bound and determined […]
[NB: ‘Tis the season for college applications. Since many students are scrambling to complete their essays, I wanted to share what my high school senior recently wrote. Earlier, I posted an essay my son submitted to one university. Today I’m offering the “Common App” response he provided to all colleges to which he applied. Perhaps […]
Athens, GA October 14, 2022 [NB: My younger son is in the midst of writing essays to apply for college. Below (in italics) is the essay the University of Georgia asked him to write, and the answer David provided.] The college admissions process can create anxiety. In an attempt to make it less stressful, please […]
Atlanta, GA October 5, 2022 A couple years ago, we stirred the pot by assessing every occupant of the Oval Office (or whatever office preceded it). We sampled the executive stew, appreciated the few palatable portions, and spit out the most rancid elements. Now, only eighteen months later, we must revise the recipe. The best […]
Auburn, AL September 25, 2022 “SWEET AUBURN! Loveliest village of the plain.” – Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village This is Homecoming and “Parents Weekend” at Auburn. We aren’t alums. But we do have a son who hopes to be one in about a year. So with his younger brother, Rita and I came to campus. […]
Auburn, AL September 15, 2022 Mark Twain said that while history doesn’t repeat, it often rhymes. Today the stanza and meter brought back memories. My younger son is a senior in high school. He’s taken his tests, compiled his grades, and is applying to college. Our elder son went thru the same process three years […]
Atlanta, GA September 9, 2022 I’ve had opportunities to encounter a lot of people. We lost one of them last week with the death of Mikhail Gorbachev. Another departed yesterday, when Queen Elizabeth II gave up the ghost. I crossed paths with Gorbachev in 1995, while I was working as a civil engineer for the […]
Atlanta, GA September 7, 2022 September, as Mark Twain noted, is the most dangerous month to speculate in stocks…”along with July, January, April, November, May, March, October, June, December, August – and February.” Since the Second World War, September is the only month with negative average market returns. But as we wade into dangerous seasonal […]